Hejira
by outSide.castle
Summary: When Fuji Syusuuke takes in a blind and amnesiac girl, never did he expect her to carry with her such a shadowed past. He soon finds himself drawn into her story as the dark mysteries of her life begin to unravel, memory by memory. [FujiXOC] hiatus!
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: **Here's the promised semi-sequel to Translate This! Sorry it took me so long to get the first chapter up. Some unexpected problems came up and I was forced to put fanfic writing on hold for a while. I originally was going to wait until I finished the first 5 chapters or so before posting but I hate to keep people waiting, so here's the prologue first, just to give you guys an idea of what the story's going to be like. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I DO NOT own Prince of Tennis, so please don't sue me. You wouldn't get any money anyway. (This goes for the whole fic, I'm way too lazy to write more than one disclaimer.)

_**&&& **_

_Hejira_

_Prologue_

_**&&& **_

She sat on the cold marble ground, panting as she looked around the dark room. She took in the pale blue walls that were now covered in dripping layers of crimson, and the piles and piles of bodies that lay, unmoving, around her.

She looked down at the blood covering her own clothes, not even sure if it was her blood or not. A deep cut, still bleeding profusely, ran down the inside of her left forearm, made by some madman with a meat cleaver. Her abdomen felt bruised and sore to the touch, and pain was coursing through her right leg. She leaned down slowly and carefully to inspect the wound. She grimaced - two gunshots, one in the calf, and one in the back of her ankle. Although it wasn't too bad, if you compared it to all of the dead bodies around her. There were probably over thirty of them in total.

She reached up with her good arm to grab the counter top behind her. Carefully, she hoisted herself up to a standing position. She gingerly placed her wounded leg on the floor, pulling it back immediately when it failed to hold her weight.

A small rustling sound came from her left, and she whipped around instinctively, clenching her teeth as her leg throbbed in complaint at the sudden movement.

"Wh-why?" A voice cut through the darkness. It was weak, bordering on silence. She looked down at the owner of the voice, squinting her eyes in the dark.

"Why did you d-do it?" The voice stammered.

Her eyes widened as she recognized the blood-smeared face that was speaking. His face. "You should be dead." She said, her voice quivering dangerously as she limped closer.

"I-I had to know first…" The voice grew softer and softer. She reached into her pocket as he talked and quietly pulled out her handgun. She glanced at it quickly. One bullet left.

"Was it m-my fault? Wh-where did I go wrong?" His voice was filled with silent remorse. She stood there, tears slowly beginning to fill her eyes as she watched him struggle for every breath.

"I thought we w-were getting s-somewhere…" She tried to ignore his soft, golden-brown eyes as she lifted her arm, pointing the gun directly at him with her trembling hand. If she missed, he would die slowly and painfully, most likely of blood-loss. She couldn't miss. It was the least she could do.

"Why did you have to do this?" Those amber eyes seemed to stare through her soul, and she felt her heart clench.

"Because." She tightened her grip on the gun, steadying her hand. She had done this so many times, it was almost like breathing by now. So why was this so hard? "Because I'm a coward." She whispered.

She pulled the trigger, not even flinching as the shot rang off loudly, his head dropping to the floor with a quiet thud.

She stood there for a moment, staring at his handsome face before wiping a blood-covered hand over her cheeks, drying her tears. She dropped her gun, as if holding it burned her skin. She then limped out of the room, pulling a matchbook out of her pocket on the way, and lighting one. She looked back one last time before dropping the match. She turned back around and ran as fast as she could with her injured leg, not even watching as the flame from the match caught onto the carpet, and then the table and the couches, and eventually, the whole house.

**&&&**

**Author's Note: **I know it's short, but basically it's just a mood setter chapter. Although don't worry, not the whole fic is going to be so dark and violent. I promise it lightens up. Thanks to all the readers, especially those from Translate This who've decided to stick with me long enough to read this new fic. Check back soon for Chapter 1! --castle.


	2. Aftermath

**Author's Note: **I know the prologue was a little puzzling, and probably confusing, but don't worry, it'll all clear up in time. Now it's time for our favorite guy to appear—Fuji! And plus, a short reunion with Tenaya, Ryoma, Sakuno and Tezuka. Enjoy.

Also, just to clear it up, Hejira is actually a word. It's usually spelled Hegira, but I thought it looked better with a J. It means "A flight to escape danger".

**&&&**

_Hejira_

_Aftermath_

**&&&**

Fuji Syusuuke sat at his dining table on Saturday morning, at 6:30 a.m. to be exact, carefully spreading cream cheese onto his bagel as the early morning newsman droned off the local news in the living room. He wiped the edge of the knife clean before sticking it into the carton of cream cheese, not even realizing what he was doing. But a happy smile remained on his face as he wiped his hands before picking up his breakfast.

But just as Fuji was about to take a bite, a snippet of the local news reached his ears and he almost dropped his bagel. He placed it onto his plate and quickly wiped his hands, walking over to the TV. His eyes widened as he saw the reporter standing in front of a house engulfed in flames. Dozens of people were running around it, trying to put the fire out.

"…to find the whole house in flames. Because the Sugisaki family owned so much land, smoke from the fire was not noticed by the neighbors until only about a half-hour ago. Unfortunately, there are no survivors, and investigators estimate that over forty people have died. Included in the list of victims is twenty-five year old Yukio Sugisaki, as well as his father, Hiroi Sugisaki. Because they have no other living relatives, their deaths bring, not only grief to our community, but also an end to the Sugisaki Motors Company."

Fuji stared blankly at the screen, with his jaw hanging slightly open, as if not quite believing what had just come out of the reporter's mouth. He plopped down onto the couch behind him, still staring into space. Yukio Sugisaki…dead? Not only was he Fuji's friend, Sugisaki's company was also one of Fuji's main sponsors, as well as Tenaya's and Ryoma's. Sugisaki Motors was one of the richest establishments in Japan, with over 15 billion dollars in net worth. He didn't want to sound cold, but having them as a sponsor was a _huge _accomplishment, and now that this had happened, they would be short on a lot of money - money that paid for their equipment, rental fees, and sent them to the grand slams.

Fuji was shaken out of his thoughts as an annoying newswoman literally bounced into the screen, reading off the weather forcast in a high, whiny voice. Fuji switched off the television set disgustedly and grabbed his bagel, stuffing half of it into his mouth. He then looked at the clock, realizing that if he didn't leave soon, he would be late for practice, which would result in another lecture from Tezuka. So with the bagel still in his mouth, he grabbed his tennis bag and exited the house.

As he got into his car, he wondered how the news would hit Tenaya and Ryoma, who had most likely missed the morning announcements. Fuji pondered this as he cruised down his street.

After stuffing the rest of his breakfast into his mouth, he reached over to the glove compartment to grab a napkin. However, as his hand searched around, he couldn't seem to locate the small package. So, taking his eyes off the road, he dug around until he found the Kleenex box before shutting the compartment and looking back up.

As his gaze returned to the road, Fuji spotted something large in the street, approximately 15 feet away. His eyes widened as it grew closer and closer before he hit the brakes, bringing his car to a screeching halt just a few inches before the object.

He sighed with relief before frowning and slowly getting out of his car. He took a few tentative steps toward the "thing". It kinda looked like a dog from far away, a really big dog, with brownish-red fur. But as Fuji got closer, he realized with a gasp that it was a person, a girl to be specific. He immediately rushed over, kneeling before the person. He winced as he looked her over.

She lay there on her side, unmoving, dressed in black pants and a short sleeved dark brown shirt. Her head rested in a pool of blood, and her black hair was soaked with it. Her whole body was covered in painful looking bruises and scratches, and it seemed like every single pore on her body was bleeding. It looked like somebody had dropped a bomb on her. In fact, the only thing that was, for the most part, unscathed, was her face, which Fuji noticed was fairly attractive, although deathly pale.

He carefully placed his hand on her cold wrist, and was surprised to find a pulse, although it was extremely faint and slow - probably only about twenty beats per minute. Unless she was an Olympic athlete, her heart rate was dangerously slow, and she was probably on the verge of death. However, as Fuji looked down at her face, he just couldn't leave her there to die, cold and alone.

"Tezuka's gonna kill me…" Fuji muttered as he placed his arms under her and lifted her limp form, surprised at how light she was. He carried her over to the car and placed her gently in the backseat before getting in the driver's seat and slowly driving back the way he came. As he cruised at a slow speed, he pulled out his cell phone, dialing Sakuno Ryuuzaki's number. Sakuno, after trying tennis for a few years, decided that she had another calling: medical school. So after she graduated, she went on to become a doctor. One would think that she would be too squeamish to be a surgeon, which was what she wanted to be, but she had graduated from medical school at the top of her class. Over the years, she had matured from the shy, blustering girl she once was to a mature, sophisticated, successful surgeon who always carried about an air of professionalism.

Fuji decided that he had better call her over, just in case there was a chance the girl would survive. After telling Sakuno the predicament, he hung up, pulled into his driveway, and got out. He then opened the back door and picked the girl up before walking up the walkway and through the front door. He ignored the blood that dripped from her body as he placed her on the living room couch. He was about to clean her up a little, before deciding that it was probably safer if he didn't touch her.

As he waited for Sakuno to arrive, he gave Tezuka a call. Fuji was now about a half-hour late, and Tezuka was probably freaking out.

"Hello?" The tension in his deep voice confirmed Fuji's prediction.

"Hey Tezuka, it's Fuji."

"Where are you?" Tezuka demanded.

Fuji frowned, trying to think of an excuse. "Sorry, I don't think I can make practice today. My arm is really sore from…gardening. Yeah, I was doing some yard work yesterday."

"Gardening."

"Uh-huh."

Tezuka sighed. "Fine. But you better come to practice Monday. The US Open is in less than a month."

"Don't worry, I will." Fuji replied. In the background, he could hear Tenaya's voice.

"Um, Tenaya wants to talk to you." Tezuka said, sounding annoyed. "Hold on."

Fuji smiled as he waited for Tenaya to take the phone.

"Fuji?" She was breathless, probably from tennis drills.

"Hey Tenaya."

"How come you're not coming?" Her voice sounded concerned. "It's not your ankle again is it?" He had hurt his ankle during Wimbledon, causing him to forfeit his match halfway through the semi-finals, and give up his chance of winning his tenth grand slam.

"No, it's not that." Fuji hesitated. "It might be hard to believe but..."

"Yeah?" Her voice sounded eager.

"Okay. I didn't tell Tezuka because I didn't think he'd believe me, although you can tell Ryoma if you want. The truth is, I found this girl on my way to practice, like, in the middle of the street, and I have no idea what happened to her. And she looks really hurt. I'm surprised she's not dead yet. So I've taken her back to my house, and I'm waiting for Sakuno to come right now. "

"No…way."

"Way."

"So…you can't make it to practice because you're trying to save a corpse?"

Fuji sighed. "She's not a corpse _yet. _She might live."

"Oh. I see." Fuji could hear Tezuka's voice in the background, yelling for her to get off the phone. "Hold on a minute!" She yelled back.

"Oh yeah, did you hear about Yukio Sugisaki?" Fuji said, remembering.

"No. What about him?"

"His house burned down."

She gasped. "It did! How about him? Did he or his dad survive?"

"Unfortunately not."

"Uh-oh." Fuji could just imagine her biting her lip like she always did when she was worried. She probably had the exact same concern he had had. "And Tezuka's already in a bad mood. And if I tell Ryoma, I'd probably burst his little bubble." Ryoma had won Wimbledon, and had been extremely happy since then, even though it was so long ago.

"Well, I just wanted to let you guys know."

"Thanks Fuji." She said. More yelling came from the background. "Okay, I'm coming!" Tenaya yelled. "Jeez. Anyway, I gotta go. I hope the girl's okay, and I'll see you on Monday okay? Bye!"

"Bye." Fuji said. Right as he hung up the phone, the doorbell rang.

Fuji padded across the kitchen to the front door. "Hi, thanks for coming on such short notice." Fuji said after opening the door.

"No problem." Sakuno said, smiling at him before stepping inside and taking off her shoes. "So where is she?"

Fuji pointed to the living room. "I found her about ten minutes ago in the street. I'm not really sure what happened, but I think a car might have hit her."

She frowned as she walked into the living room, laying eyes on her. "Oh boy." She kneeled down beside her and took her pulse. "Well, she's alive all right, although I'm sure that when, and if, she regains consciousness, she'll wish she wasn't. And all these wounds are still bleeding, which means that they're fresh. She couldn't have been lying out there for more than two hours." She frowned. "But she still should have died from blood loss by now." She looked her over briefly, quietly muttering her observations. "Broken arm, concussion - probably major, bruises, scratches, a really deep looking laceration on her fore-arm…" She carefully pulled up the girl's shirt to reveal her stomach, and also rolled up the legs of her pants. Fuji winced at the sight.

Sakuno sighed, continuing her observations. "Broken ribs, good chance of internal bleeding, more bruises and scratches." Fuji gasped when he looked down at her calves and ankles, and Sakuno's eyes widened. "Two gunshots, one in her calf, and one on the back of her ankle. This is serious. She couldn't have gotten gunshot wounds in her leg if it was just a car accident. If I stop the bleeding soon, she might survive."

Sakuno opened up her medical briefcase, pulling out a few rolls of gauze, rubbing alcohol pads, scissors, a scalpel, and tweezers. Fuji shivered, looking at the instruments and wondering what she was about to do with them. "Shouldn't I call an ambulance?" Fuji asked.

Sakuno shook her head. "In most cases, yes. But with her gunshot wounds, if we bring her to a hospital, the bullets could be easily identified. I'm not sure if that's something she wants everybody to know. And plus, by the time an ambulance arrives, she could very possibly have bled to death."

Fuji nodded.

"Why don't you go get some aspirin and water?" Sakuno turned to Fuji briefly before unrolling the gauze.

Fuji nodded again, before heading to the kitchen and returning with a spoon and the aspirin and water. He crushed the two aspirin tablets carefully before spooning it into the girl's mouth with some water.

"Now I need to bandage her wounds."

"Okay."

"…Which means you have to leave the room."

"Oh!" Fuji said, realizing what she meant. "Okay." He stood up and exited the living room.

Sakuno shook her head, chuckling, as she turned back towards the girl, before pushing her shoulder-length hair out of the way (she had taken Ryoma's advice sometime during high school and cut off her long braids) and putting on her gloves. She carefully took off the girl's shirt and pants. 'Is this girl superhuman?' Sakuno wondered as she ripped open the packages of alcohol pads. Nobody should be able to survive all this.

Sakuno carefully dabbed all her wounds with alcohol, thanking the lord that this girl wasn't conscious at this moment, before picking up her scalpel. She carefully cut the skin and flesh around the bullet holes, ignoring the new rivers of blood that began flowing out. She carved away (not to sound crude) until the bullets were visible, and then she pulled them out with the tweezers. The gunshot in her calf was buried deep, to the bone, and the impact of it had made a small crack in the bone. On the other hand, the gunshot in her ankle had damaged the Achilles tendon, and she probably wouldn't be able to walk properly for a few weeks.

After cleaning the girl up, Sakuno wrapped all of her wounds up in gauze, including her head, and placed her arm in a splint. She then threw her gloves away, as well as the girl's bloody clothes, before going to find Fuji.

She found him sitting on the bottom of the stairs, elbows rested on his knees. He looked up as Sakuno walked in. "Is she going to be okay?" He asked, standing up.

Sakuno nodded. "I think so. By the way, do you have some extra clothes? I don't have any of mine with me, and all of her clothes are torn and bloody."

Fuji nodded, going up to his room and returning with a pair of gray sweats and a light blue T-shirt.

"Thanks." Sakuno said before returning to the living room to put the clothes on the girl. "Okay, you can come in now." She called out after finishing.

Fuji walked in a few moments later and his eyes widened when he saw the girl on his couch. "Wow, she looks a lot better. You're good."

Sakuno smiled. "Thanks. And just to remind you, you're going to have to feed her aspirin every 6-8 hours even though she's unconscious. Most of her wounds have stopped bleeding so you don't have to worry about taking off her shirt or pants."

Fuji sighed in relief.

"But the bullet wounds in her leg will probably continue to bleed, as well as the wound on her head. You're gonna have to change those bandages when they become too soaked with blood. And I'll make you a list of everything that's wrong with her so you can have it on hand." Sakuno said professionally, whipping out her notepad and pen and began scribbling.

"Other than that," she said after a few moments. "Just make sure she's comfortable and hydrated. When she regains consciousness, which shouldn't be for another few weeks, make sure she stays bed-ridden and _call me immediately._" Sakuno handed the slip of paper to him and started towards the door, Fuji following. "Good luck." She said. "I'm by the phone if anything goes wrong." She slipped on her shoes and opened the front door. "And just to tell you, there's a good chance she'll die sometime today or tomorrow. If she survives the first few days, then she should be fine." Sakuno smiled grimly at him before walking down the steps, getting into her car, and driving away.

Fuji closed the front door, and looked down at the list Sakuno had given him. "Holy hell." It practically went off the page. He shook his head before returning to the living room. He looked at the girl and decided that she would be more comfortable in a bed, so he picked her up and went up the stairs. After pondering which bed he should put her on, he decided that it would be best if she stayed in his bed, that way he could keep an eye on her. Plus, it wasn't as if he needed all of his king-sized bed. He carefully placed her down, pulling the blanket up to her chin. After making sure she was comfortable, he smiled at her and then sat down before his computer, opening up some files to work on.

**&&&**

Fuji blinked, opening his eyes in the darkness. He could hear the steady beeping of his alarm clock, and he reached over to switch it off. It's glowing red letters read 12:00 PM. He had set it eight hours ago so that he could feed the girl aspirin halfway through the night. He looked down at the girl laying about a foot away from him, still unmoving. Hurriedly, he picked up her arm and tested her pulse, relieved to find that it was beating stronger and at an almost normal rate. He then checked her wounds, all of which were fine, and, reassured, he pulled the covers back over her. He didn't know why he was so worried about this girl. After all, he had only just found her less than a day ago and he didn't know a single thing about her - not her name, or where she lived, or even if she appreciated his concern. But he felt that since it was he who had decided to ensure her life, he would continue to do so until she was okay again.

He got out of bed and switched on the lights, blinking in the brightness. He picked up the aspirin bottle and water from his table. He yawned as he crushed two tablets in the spoon and put a little water in it. He sat down beside the girl and carefully lifted up her head. As if knowing what he was about to do, her lips parted slightly, and he slowly poured the mixture in. Her eyebrows knitted together for a short moment in response to the bitter taste. Fuji looked down at her, surprised that she was actually responding, but her expression had turned blank again.

Fuji put the spoon and water down on the nightstand and then crawled into bed, pulling the covers up carefully so as not to disturb her. Before turning out the lights, he looked down at the girl's face. She had such a peaceful look on, as if she didn't have a care in the world. Her chest rose up and down slowly, and if Fuji was close enough to her face, he could feel her warm breath on his skin. Her dark, thick lashes fluttered lightly against the creamy skin of her cheeks, and her lips curved into a tiny smile. Fuji smiled as he carefully brushed a strand of hair away from her face, switched off the light, and lay down beside her.

**&&&**

**Author's Note: **I made the first chapter a little longer to make up for the short prologue. There's still a lot of things that aren't explained yet, but it'll make sense eventually.

Thanks to White Alchemist Taya for being the first to review!


	3. Solitude

**Author's Note: **Sorry it took me so long for this chapter, I've been busy, even though it's summer. Yes, unfair, I know. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy chapter 2!

**&&&**

_Hejira_

_Solitude_

**&&&**

Fuji yawned, fighting himself to stay awake as he unrolled the bandages from the girl's head. It had been four days since Fuji had found her, so her bleeding had already pretty much stopped. But Fuji, being the neat freak he was, changed the bandages daily anyway.

After unwrapping the strips of white gauze, he turned and tossed them into the trashcan. He then picked up the cloth he had wet with warm water, and began washing the blood from her hair and face. As he pulled up her hair up to wipe her neck, his eyes fell on the mark on the back of her neck. He had noticed it a few days ago, when he first changed her bandages. There, emblazoned on her skin, were the kanji characters for _Aiko._ When Fuji ran his fingers over the characters, he could feel the grooves of the elegant strokes under his fingertips. The mark was a coal black and set deeply in her smooth skin. He didn't really believe it at first, but he had realized that the tattoo wasn't really a tattoo at all, but a burn. It was as if somebody had taken a hot iron shaped in the symbol and pressed it onto her neck. Fuji winced at the thought. But in the meantime, he had come to call her the name he found on the back of her neck, Aiko.

After finishing up, he lay her back down, and headed towards the bathroom to wash his hands. As he squeezed some toothpaste onto his toothbrush, his mind began to wander. What exactly was he supposed to do with her? She couldn't really _live _with him, could she? He was a little lonely, living in this house by himself, but she probably had a family, a home to return to. It wasn't likely that she would want to stay with him. "Her family must be worried sick about her…" Fuji thought as he brushed his teeth.

According to Sakuno, Aiko would be unconscious for another week or so. Fuji sighed. He really wanted her to wake up. He couldn't wait to see what she was like. He had a feeling that he'd get along well with her. "You can't judge a book by its cover." The saying that his mother used to repeat immediately popped into his head, but he ignored it. With such a pretty, peaceful face, how bad could she be?

At that moment, the object of his thoughts lay in bed, the fog blocking her consciousness slowly beginning to clear. She winced as her hazy mind began registering pain. Suddenly, she was acutely aware of her surroundings. She could hear running water from somewhere to her left, and she smelt a clean, soapy smell, like freshly washed laundry. She felt a soft, cushioned texture underneath, and could feel the soreness of her injuries. She clenched and unclenched her fingers, making sure they worked, and was about to move her head but the pain stopped her. She took a deep breath through her nose, enjoying the clean smell around her, and slowly ran her tongue over her lips. She was conscious all right. But as she opened her eyes, the world remained pitch black. She blinked a few times, but nothing changed. She frowned

She lay here, unmoving, trying not to think too much. Thinking hurt. It was easy to keep her mind free from thoughts and memories…too easy actually. As she lay there, her mind completely blank, panic began washing over her. Why was her brain so empty? For some reason, nothing at all was registering. Ignoring the pain, she began searching for some answers, but resulted to nothing. She couldn't remember what had happened, where she was, or even who she was. That couldn't be a good sign. The only thought that reverberated strongly in her mind was that she had to escape. Not that she knew where she was supposed to escape _from_ but nevertheless, something told her that she had to leave. Fast.

She grit her teeth as she propped her arm up, pushing herself into a sitting position. "Ow ow ow…" She muttered quietly as pain ran up and down her arm. She felt around for a few moments, cursing the darkness, before carefully moving her legs to hang over the edge of the bed. She inched herself forward until her toes touched soft carpet. Painstakingly slowly, she stood up. She gasped as her legs gave out, and crumpled painfully to the floor.

Before her mind was given a chance to clear from the pain, she could feel a presence next to her. "Are you okay?" The male voice. Aiko turned her head towards the direction of the voice, but saw nothing. A cool hand reached out to rest on her arm, and she jerked away instinctively. "Who are you?" She said through gritted teeth.

"I'm Fuji." He replied, slightly surprised that she was already out of bed and talking.

Aiko shook her head, as if telling him to leave her alone.

"Are you okay?" Fuji repeated, reaching out his hand again but pulling it back this time.

Aiko felt around with her good arm until she touched the edge of the nightstand. She grabbed it firmly and hoisted herself up, a strange sense of déjà vu coming over her. She limped forward, both hands on the wall, feeling her way around the room.

Fuji stood there, at a loss for what to do. Should he help her? She didn't seem like she wanted it. And what exactly was she trying to do? He couldn't just let her wander around his room aimlessly could he? "Where are you going?" Fuji asked carefully, following behind her as she felt her way around, just in case she fell.

She ignored him. She needed to get out. Into the light. She couldn't think of anything else at the moment.

"Um, well wherever you're trying to go, you can't go." Fuji said, trying to sound firm. He couldn't let an injured girl wander around alone out there at this time of night.

She turned to face him, eyes boring into him. Fuji gasped inwardly as he looked into them for the first time. They were a brilliant emerald green, lined on the edge with a deep, royal blue. They would've have been beautiful, if they held any expression. Instead, they were empty, hollow, and devoid of emotion. And when she looked at him, it was as if she was looking through him, not at him, but at something behind him. Her gaze sent shivers down her spine.

Her voice shook him out of her thoughts. "Why?" Her voice was melodic, although it was underlined with a cold bitterness, as if she had spent her whole life talking to people she despised.

"B-Because…" Fuji hesitated, slightly shaken by her frosty demeanor. "Because, you're hurt." He finally said, stating the obvious.

"I don't see how that's gonna stop me." Aiko turned back around, continuing to limp around the room. Fuji followed. "You're really badly injured though. If I let you out there, you'll get hurt even more."

"Oh well." She said bluntly, trying to find the door.

"Well, where's your home?" The least he could do was drive her there and let her family members take care of her. But he silently hoped that she wouldn't answer. He had been waiting to get to know her a little, and didn't want her to leave so soon.

She paused, turning to look at him again. "Home?" She repeated. Fuji remained silent, confused at why _she _was confused. "I'm not going home." She stated. As if she had one to return to.

"Oh." Fuji said quietly. "Then where are you going?"

"Away." She said simply.

Fuji watched anxiously as her fingers reach the door frame. "Why?"

"Because."

"Because what?"

She sighed. "Because," she began. "First of all, I don't know who the hell you are. Second of all, I don't know who the hell I am. Third of all, I just have to." She knew she wasn't making any sense.

Fuji stood patiently, waiting for more.

"And fourth…it's really dark." She said quietly, mostly to herself. But Fuji caught the whisper.

Fuji frowned, thoughts running wildly through his head. Dark? What was she talking about? Sure, it was eleven o'clock at night, but all the lights were on. Was she blind maybe? It was possible, considering the accident she had been through. "Is it because-" Fuji stopped himself mid-sentence, deciding that if he told her she was blind, she'd probably go crazy on him.

She looked at him, hand now clenching the doorknob, waiting expectantly for him to finish.

"It's because you've got bandages over your eyes." Fuji said quickly. She would have to think that for now, until Sakuno could get here.

Aiko frowned, reaching a hand up to feel her eyes for the said bandages, but Fuji stopped her. She jerked her arm away again, and his hand pulled back.

"Can you please, just stay for a little while?" Fuji asked impatiently, giving up on trying to trick her into staying.

Aiko narrowed her eyes at him, trying to decide whether or not to trust to him. Finally, she sighed, her hand dropping from the doorknob. Fuji sighed as well, letting go of a breath that he didn't know he had been holding.

"Okay, I'll stay for a while." She said tightly.

Fuji nodded. "Is it okay if I call my friend Sakuno to come over? She's a doctor."

Aiko visibly tensed up at the word. "Why?" She demanded.

"Well, she told me to call her once you woke up. So she could see how you're doing."

Aiko narrowed her eyes. "She's not one of those doctors who report everything they find to the police is she?" Her extinct was warning her away from doctors.

Fuji frowned at her odd question. "Um…not if you don't want her to…"

"Fine then. Call her." She turned and began feeling her way back the way she came.

Fuji picked up the telephone, quickly dialing Sakuno's number as Aiko sat down carefully onto his bed.

About twenty minutes later, Sakuno arrived, fully dressed in her white uniform. Fuji let her in graciously, pointing her to his room. Once Sakuno walked into the room, her eyes widened in surprise to see Aiko sitting upright on the bed, arms crossed with a scowl on her face. "Well, she looks pretty good, considering the accident she'd been in. When did she wake up?" Sakuno asked Fuji.

"About an hour ago." Fuji replied.

Sakuno nodded, still surprised. "That's awfully soon." She turned to Aiko. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine."

"Um…" Sakuno glanced over in Fuji's direction, and then back to Aiko. "Will you let me examine you?"

After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Aiko sighed, uncrossing her arms. "Fine."

Sakuno set her medical case down onto the bed beside her, pulling out a stethoscope. After checking her heartbeat for a few minutes, Sakuno seemed satisfied with the result, and put the stethoscope away. "Anything in particular that you've been feeling?" Sakuno asked, pulling out a thermometer and taking Aiko's temperature.

Aiko shook her head.

Sakuno looked over at Fuji. He nodded fervently, pointing to his eyes, and then shaking his head.

Sakuno looked puzzled. "…She has no eyes?"

Fuji quickly shook his head, wincing as Aiko's face took on a look of panic. This time, he drew X's over his eyes.

Sakuno frowned, even more confused. "She died?"

Fuji groaned. Sakuno had obviously been watching too much anime. "She can't see!" He said finally. He glanced in Aiko's direction, but it looked like she hadn't heard..

"Ooooh…" Sakuno said in realization. She pulled out her little flashlight, and gently placed her fingers over Aiko's eyelids. Aiko stiffened at the touch, but remained still as Sakuno examined her eyes for swelling. She then took her light and shone it suddenly into Aiko's eyes. She didn't even flinch.

"Can you see the light?" Sakuno asked, moving the flashlight from left to right.

"What light?"

"Can you see anything at all?"

"Just blackness. Are the bandages off already?"

Sakuno hesitated. "Yes." Fuji said quickly. "You still can't see?"

"No."

Sakuno started moving the flashlight around again. After a few minutes, she put it down, sighing. "Bad news. It looks like your retinas are damaged."

Aiko frowned. "What does that mean?"

"It means you're blind. I can't tell if they're just damaged or completely destroyed. Depending on which one it is, they might heal in a few weeks."

Aiko's shoulders drooped, her head dipping slightly.

Fuji bit his lip from where he was watching the examination. The three of them were silent for a few minutes, before Sakuno stood up, gathering her supplies. "Well, is that all?"

Fuji looked up. "Oh. Yeah, thanks Sakuno."

She smiled. "No problem. Call me if anything goes wrong okay?"

Fuji nodded and waved goodbye as Sakuno exited the room. He came to sit down beside Aiko. "How are you doing?" He asked softly.

She kept her gaze downward. "Well, I just woke up with my whole body hurting. Then I found out I was in the house of some guy I don't even know. And now I was just told that I'm blind. And to top it all off, I don't know who I am. So, I can't really answer that question."

Fuji blinked. "Sarcastic." He thought.

She turned to face him. "Fuji was your name wasn't it? Do you know who I am?" She asked anxiously.

Fuji looked surprised, before shaking his head. "No, I had been hoping you would tell me. Do you not remember anything?"

Aiko shook her head.

"Do you have amnesia?"

"I don't remember."

"Well, how about your name?"

"No clue."

Fuji smiled. "Well I've been calling you Aiko. It's the character on the back of your neck."

Immediately, her hand shot up to feel her neck, and her eyes widened in realization. It felt oddly familiar. "Aiko? Is that my name?" She trailed off. "Well I guess it's my name now." She sighed, rubbing her arms. "This sucks." She muttered. "Can I go now?" Now that she had gotten over her initial shock of being blind, her original plan was coming back to her. All she knew was that if she didn't leave, something might happen to this guy, whoever he was.

Fuji looked surprised. "Go?"

"Yeah. I need to go. I agreed to stay until the doctor came remember?"

"But you can't go." Fuji said quickly. A strange sense of protectiveness came over him. "You're blind, and it's the middle of the night."

"I know but…" She stood up, deciding that it would be easier if she just left than if she tried to explain exactly why she had to go.

"Why don't you stay until you can see again?" Fuji suggested, standing up as well.

"Because I might be blind for life. I can't exactly live with you." She said, repeating the same exact thing Fuji had been thinking earlier.

"Yes you can." Fuji said after a few moments. Her eyes widened.

"At least, for now you can." He said. She couldn't leave so soon. He was expecting her to argue back, but was surprised when he saw her shoulders sag in defeat.

"Fine." She said quietly, laying down on the bed and feeling around for the covers. Fuji pulled them up for her. "I'll stay. But only until I recover." She turned to lie on her side, facing away from him. She was too tired to argue. Her brain was shutting down, and all she wanted to do was sleep. She might as well listen to this guy…He _was _a stranger, but then again, so was she. She didn't know her self any better than she knew him. The very thought of that made her want to curl up in a little ball and cry, but she couldn't. And besides, who cared if he was hurt in the process? She barely knew him so she didn't particularly care about him. It sounded cold, but it was the truth.

"But if that's true…" She thought to herself, pulling the blanket up. "Then I shouldn't care about myself either." _Maybe I don't._

Fuji watched as she lay there quietly, not moving. He sighed, switching off the light and laying down himself. She was so far from what he expected her to be. He had wanted to get to know her, possibly become her friend. But it looked like that was pretty much one-sided. Maybe he should've just let her go after all. He lay on his side, watching her chest rise up and down slowly. He thought about what it must be like to know nothing at all of whom you were. To wake up to a blank mind, with no memories of the past to keep you company. How it must feel so alone…He shuddered, closing his eyes, understanding a little better where her cold demeanor came from now.

**&&&**

**Author's Note: **Wow, thanks so much to the reviewers! I can't believe I have so many already. You guys are awesome 3

I hope everyone liked this chapter. I'll try to be faster with the next one!


	4. Revival

**Author's Notes: **This story is a lot harder to write than I thought it would be. I gotta be careful about the pace of the plot. Can't make it boring, but can't rush it either. Ugh. I don't even know why I like writing fanfics. Sometimes it just feels like another stressor to me.

**IMPORTANT! **Please read this if you haven't read the prequel, "Translate This".

I'm sorry I didn't explain earlier, I just assumed all my readers were returning from TT. Ok, here's a brief summary of the story background:

-All original characters from the anime are existent, although might not appear in the story.

-In TT, a girl named Tenaya Rialles traveled to Japan from America, and eventually, after a lot of fluff, she and Ryoma fell and in love and the story ended with their marriage.

-Fuji is Tenaya's best friend, and also an extremely good friend of Ryoma's. The three of them are very close, along with Eiji at times.

-All of the characters are out of high school and college. Tenaya is 22, Ryoma is 23, and Fuji is 24. All three of them are professional tennis players.

I hope that answered some questions, but anyone can ask me if there's still confusion.

_Hejira_

_Revival_

Aiko sat up suddenly, clenching her head as it throbbed painfully. She moaned. Why was it hurting so much? She shook her head and took a deep breath. She sighed, lying back down as the throbbing of her head started to recede. She frowned, trying to recall the dream she had been having before she woke up. But it all was too hazy. All she could remember was her running. She couldn't tell if she was running to something, or away from something. Or both.

**&&&**

Fuji looked down at his watch, then at Aiko. It was already 1:30 pm. Should he wake her up? He sighed, carefully shaking her shoulder. Her eyes slowly opened, and she blinked a few times before yawning and sitting up. "What?" She muttered.

"I thought you should get up. You've been sleeping for quite a while." Fuji replied.

"So?" Aiko yawned again. "I'm hurt, let me rest."

Fuji rolled his eyes. "You probably would be out for another week if I did that. Now get up, some fresh air will be good for you."

Aiko perked up a little. "Fresh air? You mean, we're going outside?"

"Yep." Fuji said, pulling the covers off of her. "I need to go shopping. And you need some clothes."

Aiko thought about that for a few minutes before carefully getting out of bed. "Okay, I'll go."

Fuji nodded. "Good. Now here, you can wear this until we buy you something." He handed her the sweats and shirt she had been wearing, cleanly washed.

Aiko reached out a hand, and Fuji placed the clothes in them. "I'll be waiting for you outside the door okay? Call when you're done."

Aiko nodded, waiting for the door to click shut. She then pulled off her shirt and pants, picking up the clothes he had given her. She made a face as she tugged them on. They were big and baggy on her small frame, and she had to roll up the sleeves a billion times before her hands peeked out. "Done." She called out, running her fingers through her hair, wincing as she grazed her still sensitive head wound.

She heard the door open. "Alright then, let's go." He took her hand and placed it on his arm. Aiko held on lightly to the material of his shirt as he led the way out of the room and down the stairs. Her ankle throbbed with every step they took.

She scowled. She hated feeling so helpless. Not only was she amnesiac, but she was blind as well. Might as well hire her a babysitter.

They made their way out the front door and into the car. Fuji pulled out of the driveway, driving to the nearby clothing store, and then helping Aiko out of the car. As they entered the shop, he wondered exactly what he should buy her. He wasn't exactly an expert on women clothing, and it wasn't like Aiko could pick out something herself. So instead, he just snagged a sale's lady aside, telling her that his 'sister' was blind and needed some clothes. The sale's lady helpfully picked out a few shirts, some pants, and two pairs of shoes, and Fuji took them to the register to pay.

Whilst this was going on, Aiko limped around, feeling her way through the crowded store. She was beginning to feel panicky as she bumped into person after person. She felt slightly claustrophobic, or maybe human-phobic. Either way, she was trying to find a way out of the store.

Finally finding the door, she pushed it open eagerly, relaxing a little as she stepped outside into the fresh air. She breathed in deeply, ignoring the pain in her chest as she tried to clear her head. The night before, when she was falling asleep, she had been thinking about her current situation. Maybe having amnesia wasn't so bad. After all, it didn't seem like her old life was all that great. Maybe she could start over with a clean slate. Fuji seemed like a nice guy. Maybe he could help her.

But as she kept thinking about it, she lowered her arms in sadness. How would she feel, living out her life with such a large patch missing? What was she supposed to build her life on? How could she avoid making the same mistakes, when she didn't even remember what the mistakes were? "I'll just have to get my memory back then." She thought to herself. Deep down, she knew she would never be able to _really _start over. She had scars, physically and emotionally, that would never be erased.

"There you are!" Fuji's anxious voice cut Aiko's thoughts short. She turned towards the direction of the voice. "Sorry." She said quietly.

"It's okay. Just don't run off like that again." Fuji warned, soundly strangely motherly, and placed her hand on his arm again and walked towards the car.

After getting in, Fuji looked at his watch. "Uh-oh. I have tennis practice soon." He said.

"You play tennis?" Aiko asked as she fumbled with her seatbelt.

"Yeah, I do. I make a living from it actually." He said, buckling her seatbelt for her.

"You do?" Her green eyes widened in disbelief. "You're a professional tennis player?"

"Yeah." Fuji smiled a little. It felt weird, yet nice to have someone actually _not _know that.

"Well that's cool, I guess." She frowned. "I wonder what I did for a living."

"Hmm…Journalist maybe?" Fuji suggested, taking a wild guess.

She made a face. "I don't think so."

Fuji smiled as he pulled out of his parking space. "How about an engineer? Or nursing?"

She shook her head.

"Financing, teacher, professional athlete, police…" Fuji listed.

She shook her head.

"Hmm, maybe something more artsy." Fuji thought. "Singer, pianist, photographer, painter-"

Aiko's smiled a little. "That one rings a bell."

"Painter?" Fuji smiled as he turned into his driveway.

She nodded.

"Maybe you were one."

"Maybe."

Fuji stopped the car in his driveway. "Do you want to come with me to practice?" It just struck him that Tenaya would be dying to meet Aiko.

She looked at him in surprise. "Go with you?" She unbuckled her seatbelt. "No…it's alright."

Fuji frowned. "Um, okay. I'll see you in a few hours then."

She nodded, getting out of the car carefully.

He got out as well, walking over to help her to the front door. But as he reached out a hand, she shook her head. "I can do it." She said simply.

She slowly walked forward, pausing when her foot hit soft grass. She then turned left, walking along the grass until the lawn ended. She proceeded right down the walkway, and turned left again after a few steps. Carefully, but not slowly, she walked forward, reaching her hand out to feel for the stair railings. She came to a stop before the first stair, resting her fingers lightly on the cool metal bar. One, two, three, four, five. Five stairs exactly. Standing on the porch, she continued forward until she came to a stop on the welcome mat before the door. She then turned her head slightly towards Fuji, waiting patiently for him to unlock the door.

Fuji watched her in amazement. _Sakuno, are you sure she's blind? _He thought. "Impressive." He took out his keys.

She only nodded in thanks.

**&&&**

"So she's alive and kicking huh?" Tenaya asked in short breaths, returning Tezuka's feed with a smooth backhand.

"Yep." Fuji said from where he was practicing. They were standing side by side, Tenaya taking the backhand side and Fuji taking the forehand. Tezuka fed them, respectively.

"How is she?"

"She's doing good. She's got amnesia though, and doesn't remember anything about her life. Oh, and she's blind. But Sakuno said that might be temporary." Fuji said.

"Take a break!" Tezuka yelled, setting down his white racket.

Fuji and Tenaya put down their rackets, jogging towards the shade to join Ryoma, who handed them each a bottle of water.

"So how's that girl?" Ryoma asked.

"Pretty good." Fuji wiped his forehead with a towel, making a face at how sweaty he was.

"What's her name?" Tenaya asked.

Fuji shook his head. "We're not really sure, but I'm calling her Aiko. It was the name I found on the back of her neck."

"A tattoo of her name?" Tenaya frowned.

Fuji nodded. "Well, actually it looks more like a burn."

Silence

"Ow." Ryoma contributed.

"Yea" Fuji replied.

Tenaya rolled her eyes at the both of them. "Well, what's she like so far?"

Fuji frowned. "It's hard to tell, she's a difficult person to read. She seems a little cold."

"Give her a jacket."

"Not literally Tenaya."

"Oh." Tenaya looked at Ryoma, who was flipping through a tennis catalogue. _She'll probably open up eventually. _She thought. _He did._

"But she's really smart, it seems. Or perceptive, at least." Fuji added, remembering her little performance earlier.

"Is she cute?" Tenaya asked with a grin, taking another drink.

"Umm…" Fuji hesitated. "I think she's pretty."

"Great!" Tenaya exclaimed, setting down her water bottle and hitting him lightly on the arm. "Make your move." She laughed.

Fuji rolled his eyes, chuckling a little himself. Tenaya, the Cupid.

"Anyway," Tenaya said, clearing her voice. "Bring her to tennis sometimes, we'd love to meet her." Ryoma nodded.

"Will do." He nodded. "Hey, isn't your three month anniversary next Saturday?" He asked, changing the subject.

Ryoma nodded. "Yeah. But we don't usually celebrate…every month…"

"So?" Fuji shrugged, putting the cap back onto his water. "It's still an occasion. 1/4th of a year!"

"If you say so." Ryoma and Tenaya replied together.

Fuji looked at his watch. "Alright, I'm going home."

"Already?" Ryoma asked. "Practice doesn't end for another hour."

"Yeah." Fuji replied guiltily. "I don't want her home alone by herself too long."

"Aw, how cute." Tenaya stuck out her bottom lip.

Fuji shook his head and laughed. "See you guys later!" He picked up his bag and headed towards his car. They waved. Fuji bit his lip, for the first time realizing how much work Aiko was turning out to be. He was willing to take care of her…but he had his own life. "And the US Open is in a month." Fuji thought, purposely avoided Tezuka's glare.

**&&&**

Fuji unlocked the front door, pushing it open and dropping his tennis bag onto the floor. "I'm home!" He called out through the house. No answer. He frowned, making his way upstairs to his room. He peeked his head in the doorway, looking around. He saw Aiko, lying motionlessly on the bed.

"Aiko." He called softly, but she didn't stir. She was curled into a ball, and the sheet was pulled halfway up on her small frame. Fuji slowly walked over to her, and gazed down at her sleeping face.

Fuji smiled a little, thinking of how innocent and naïve she looked sleeping. But a good look into her eyes told otherwise. Piercing and unforgiving, they weren't the eyes of your normal, every day, Japanese girl. They were the eyes of someone who had seen pain and betrayal enough to expect it around every corner, eyes that held a deep, sorrowful regret. It made Fuji wonder all the more exactly what had made her become this way.

**&&&**

_"Come on Aiko! You'll regret missing out on a chance like this, we've got free tickets to the newest club in town!" Chisato insisted, waving the neon green stubs of paper in front of Aiko's eyes._

_Aiko smiled, and shook her head. "But I don't' even like clubs Chisato. Why don't you invite someone else in my place?"_

_Chisato pouted. "But you never go out! Don't you have a life outside of school?"_

_Of course I do, Aiko thought. I only use school-related excuses to cover up._

_"You need to go to parties more often." Chisato continued. "Be a teenager and have fun! We're seniors and it's time to do some major partying before we all get tossed brutally into the real world."_

_Aiko smiled politely. You have no idea what the real world is. Plus, people like me don't go to parties and hang out with friends. We just don't. "Why do you want me in particular to go?"_

_"Well, because I think you deserve it. You've helped me so much over the last four years in Physics, I felt like I had to repay you. We've become such good friends and I wanted to do something for you in return." Chisato smiled warmly._

_Despite herself, Aiko returned the smile. Chisato, although a little too hyper and bouncy at times, was probably Aiko's only good friend. And she was, for the most part, thankful for her friendship. _

_"Okay." Aiko said finally, giving in. Despite the fact that she usually hated large crowds and loud music, she decided that it couldn't hurt her to go for one night. Mainly for Chisato's sake._

_"Really?" Chisato's eyes widened, and her face broke into a wide grin. "Yay! Awesome. I'll see you there at 8 pm tonight then okay?" She said enthusiastically, jumping off her desk and grabbing her backpack. "You'll have fun, I promise! Thanks Aiko!" She said, waving as she bounded out the classroom door._

_Aiko shook her head, smiling a little as she stood up and began gathering her stuff together. Who knows? Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all._

**&&&**

**Author's Notes: **Here's a nice long one for you guys. Everything in italics are flashbacks. There will be a lot more, so don't get them mixed up with the actual story. Flashbacks are so fun xD

I wanted to thank all my readers, especially Ayaka Kirihara and White Alchemist Taya. Recently, I've been getting a lot of flame reviews, and the only reason behind them is the fact that I'm writing an OC fic, or a "mary sue". It offended me, but then some people reminded me that there will always be fans of my stories and that they would continue that reading, and that made me feel a lot better. So thanks for reading this story.

Flamers - If you have mary sue's then just leave. Don't read my story if it makes you puke, so save yourself some stomach acid and ALT + F4 ok?

Questions, concerns, whatever, leave me a review and I'll return it asap (: I hope this chapter was enjoyable.


	5. Lovebird

**Author's Notes: **Here's chapter five. (Read the note at bottom of chapter please.)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Häagen-Dazs.

**&&&**

_Hejira_

_Lovebird_

**&&&**

"Alright, practice is over!" Tezuka yelled, putting down his racket. He nodded at Tenaya and Ryoma, congratulating them on their good performances today. But as Fuji walked past, he remained silent. Tezuka watched as Fuji wiped his face with a towel before looking at his watch. _Something's up._ He thought with a frown. Slowly, he approached Fuji.

"Fuji." Tezuka greeted, taking a seat on the bench beside Fuji's bag.

Fuji smiled. "Hello Tezuka."

Tezuka nodded. "How have you been?" He asked casually.

"Good, you?"

"Great."

Fuji nodded, taking a drink from his water bottle. Tezuka frowned, determined to get to the bottom of this. He decided to get to the point. "I've been noticing a lack of focus in your playing lately."

Fuji grimaced. "I know, I'm very sorry, there's just been…a lot on my mind lately."

"May I ask why?"

Fuji hesitated. "It's really just personal issues, nothing very important." He placed all of his stuff into his bag and zipped it up. "But thanks for your concern coach, I'll try harder next time." He smiled, picking up his bag and walking towards Ryoma and Tenaya.

Tezuka watched him go, breathing a sigh. That boy worried him.

**&&&**

"So what did the coach want?" Tenaya asked.

Fuji placed his bag onto the bench and sat down beside her. "He was just sharing some tips with me." He looked down at his hands.

Tenaya nodded. "Okay." She said, deciding not to pursue the issue further. It was so easy to tell when Fuji was lying, but she didn't want to pry.

Fuji sighed, frowning a little.

"What's up with him?" Ryoma whispered from the other side of Tenaya.

She looked at him pointedly.

"Oh." He said, nodding. "Shall we go home then?" He said after a few minutes.

"Yeah, I'm tired." She said, faking a yawn. They grabbed their stuff and stood up. "See you tomorrow." Ryoma said to Fuji, and Fuji waved goodbye. Tenaya only looked at him for a few moments before smiling, and following after her husband. Fuji sighed again. _Yes Tenaya, I know._ He thought grudgingly, picking up his own stuff and heading to his car.

**&&&**

Fuji stepped out of the hall shower, rubbing his brown locks with a towel. He had come home and found Aiko asleep, and so decided to take a shower in the hallway bathroom so as not to wake her. He entered his room quietly and hung up his towel. He walked slowly towards his bed, glancing down at Aiko. His eyes widened.

Her forehead was drenched in sweat, and the pillow around her head was damp. Her hair hung in wet, stringy locks, and she breathed heavily through parted lips. Her hands clenched and unclenched at her sides, and her face was slightly flushed. "Oh no." He muttered, hurriedly placing a hand on her forehead, before drawing it back immediately. It was burning hot.

**&&&**

Tenaya stared blankly at the TV screen from where she sat on the black leather couch. Her ever-faithful white German Shepherd, Hikari, now a senior citizen in dog years, lay on the couch next to her, asleep. She spooned a mouthful of Häagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream into her mouth while she watched the news.

"_And today, in downtown Tokyo, Mr. Tetsuya Nakagawa and his wife, Mitsuko Nakagawa, are in absolute shock at the disappearance of their nine-teen year old daughter. Here is Noriko Souma with the complete story, live."_

Tenaya tapped the spoon thoughtfully against her lip, watching as the picture on the screen changed from a man wearing a suit in a newsroom to a tall, thin woman in a coat standing in front of a very lavish looking mansion. The camera zoomed in on her overly made-up face. Somewhere in the background, anxious voices could be heard.

"_I'm Noriko Souma, and behind me is the famous Honshu mansion, owned by the Nakagawa family. Apparently, their teenage daughter was absent from a family dinner about a week ago, and further inspection showed that she was nowhere in the house."_

Tenaya sighed softly, zoning out a little as a man, probably the girl's dad, stepped into the screen. Rich people were always losing things. In fact, Tenaya couldn't find her favorite pair of striped socks at the moment. "I guess daughters are no exception." She said to Hikari, petting her softly. Hikari snorted.

"What are you watching?" Ryoma asked from the hallway bathroom where he was towel drying his hair.

"The news." Tenaya replied without turning around.

"Ah. Well what's new?" Ryoma said, walking into the living room.

"Some 19-year old girl is missing." Tenaya said.

"Hmm." Ryoma said, coming around the couch to squeeze in-between Tenaya and Hikari.

Tenaya glanced over at him. He was wearing nothing but a pair of boxers with mini-tennis balls on them. His hair, freshly washed, was still a little wet. Tenaya smiled. When they first moved in together, a little less than a year before they got married, she was always the casual one, walking around the house in PJ's or sweats like always. But Ryoma always dressed in a shirt and pants, acting like he had a stick shoved up his ass. It was only a few months before he loosened up.

Her eyes roamed quickly over his form. He had filled out a lot over the years, and wasn't the stick he was back in jr. high and the beginning of high school. Not to mention, he also shot up like a weed, now standing at 5'10. Tenaya smiled a little. From his hair, to his beautiful, emerald green eyes, to his tennis-toned body, he was pretty hot. And he was all hers. Her smile widened.

"What?" Ryoma turned to face Tenaya, a small smile on his face.

She shrugged, spooning another bite of ice cream into her mouth. "Just checking you out."

"Do you like what you see?" A hint of playfulness was in his voice.

She rolled her eyes. "Uh, duh. Do you even have to ask?" She replied with a smirk.

_"How are you and your wife handling this?"_

_"We are extremely sad and anxious. We can only hope that she's safe and will return to us soon. She is our most precious angel." _

The man had a soft voice and a kind face, and his words sounded authentic. But his wife, who stood behind him, was just the opposite. She had an angular face, with harsh looking eyes. She nodded stiffly in agreement to her husband.

_"I see. And what was your daughter's name again?"_

Ryoma glanced over at Tenaya. Dressed in a black spaghetti strap shirt, pale blue PJ pants, and gray fuzzy slippers, she was the image of comfort. Her long chestnut hair hung over one shoulder, and the spoon was sticking out of her mouth. He laughed. "She's so cute." He thought.

_"Her name is--"_

"Aak!" Tenaya yelled awkwardly as Ryoma suddenly jumped towards her. The spoon had dropped from her mouth in the process of yelling, the carton of ice cream falling on its side onto the couch. She landed on her back and he landed on top of her, arms outstretched and hands on either side of her head.

"Jeez what was that?" Tenaya asked, reaching with one hand to place the ice cream carton upright.

"I was just thinking about how cute you were." Ryoma smirked down at her.

She rolled her eyes. "Couldn't you find another way to tell me? For example, saying it?"

"That's no fun."

She smiled, then in a smooth motion, exchanged their places. She laughed down at his surprised face. "You're getting good." He said.

"I try." She leaned down to give him a kiss.

He smiled, tasting vanilla on her lips. She collapsed onto him, placing her hands on his shoulders. He wrapped his arms around her waist. She pulled back and smiled. "It's a good thing Fuji's not here. He'd make a face and call us sickenly sweet romantics again."

Ryoma smirked. "Is that the only reason you're glad he's not here?"

Tenaya laughed, kissing him playfully on the lips. She placed her head on his chest and breathed in deeply. "Mm, you smell good." She said with a smile. He smelled like a mixture of shampoo and the sun. "So do you." He closed his eyes, feeling her comforting scent of peaches surround him like a blanket.

"_What do you plan to do now?"_

_"Just wait, I guess. Wait and hope that she'll return to us soon."_

Tenaya could feel her eyes drooping. "I love you." She murmured.

"I love you too." Ryoma said, running a hand slowly through her soft hair, coaxing her into sleep.

Talk about newlyweds.

**&&&**

Fuji looked up as the beeping of the thermometer went off. He hurriedly removed the small white device from Aiko's mouth, reading the digitized numbers. 106 F. He groaned. This was bad.

He removed the cloth from Aiko's forehead, dipping it into the bowl of cold water, wringing it out, and placing it on her head again. He tucked the blankets in tighter around her small form. He had already fed her some medicine and plenty of water.

Where had this fever come from? Fuji had called Sakuno a little while ago, and the only reason she could come up with was that Aiko's body was extremely weak from fighting all the bacteria from her wounds, and that with her immune system pretty much useless, not to mention a shortage of blood, the normally harmless fever-inducing cells had churned into action. It was all a little over Fuji's head, but he did understand that whatever was happening was not good. Sakuno was on an important house call, so she couldn't come, but she had told Fuji to cool her head, give her plenty of water, and keep her warm.

But that was all he could do. For now, he just had to wait for her fever to break, if it ever did. He watched as she, slightly trembling, breathed in short, ragged gasps.

**&&&**

Aiko slipped in and out of consciousness as her fever continued to slowly rise. She wasn't at all aware of her surroundings. All she knew was that she had never felt this bad. She felt like she was on fire, her skin burning and the blankets around her damp from sweat. Yet, she was also shivering, and her insides felt frozen. Her stomach churned painfully, her ears were plugged, and she had a splitting migraine. Her limbs felt numb, her was thumping painfully in her chest, and her lungs strained to take in enough oxygen for her fighting body. She'd never had asthma, but she felt like she was having an attack at the moment.

Somewhere around her, she felt a warm hand envelope hers. The action registered in the back of her brain that she was not alone, and she felt slightly better. An even smaller portion of her mind told her that it couldn't only be Fuji, and she felt her heart slow a little. She took a deep, shaky, breath, feeling the darkness take over her mind

_  
_**&&&**

_Aiko turned around as the door to her room opened and a woman entered without notice. "Aiko, tonight, I need you to-"_

_"I have other plans tonight, Mom." Aiko replied calmly. _

_Her mother stared at her. "Plans?" She repeated after a few moments of silence._

_Aiko nodded. "My friend Chisato invited me to a club. I'll work tomorrow night, I promise." She said._

_Her mother sighed, obviously annoyed. "Fine." She said simply, slamming the door after her as she left. _

_Aiko shook her head, turning to face her mirror. She inspected her outfit quickly, not sure if it was suitable for a club or not. She had on a mid-thigh length jean skirt, strappy high-heels, and an off-the-shoulder, long-sleeved brown shirt. Her hair was pulled back into a casual ponytail, and a few shorter strands hung down around her face. In her ears were silver, dangling earrings, and she had on a white beads necklace. She had put a little makeup on, and over her shoulder was a simple black purse. _

_Her reflection puzzled her a little, for she had never really seen herself like this before. Usually, it was just jeans, sneakers and t-shirt, occasionally earrings or a necklace, but seldom make-up and never high-heels. She looked very pretty actually, and she thought so as well, but that was exactly what had her confused. She almost never looked pretty. With siblings like hers, she always kind of stayed in the shadows, content to be plain looking. Her glossy lips curved into a smile. Who knew it felt so good to look pretty?  
_

_The doorbell rang, shaking Aiko out of her thoughts. She hurriedly unlocked the front door, seeing Chisato on the doorstep._

_"Oh my gosh..." Chisato breathed, eyes widening. _

_"What?" Aiko asked self-consciously. _

_"You look so gorgeous! I can't believe my best friend is so breath-taking! Now come on!" Chisato grabbed Aiko's arm and pulled her towards her car. _

_Aiko smiled, but not only for the compliments. Being referred to as "best friend" was a really great feeling. _

_"You really do look awesome Aiko." Chisato said, getting in the driver's side._

_Aiko sat down in the passenger seat and buckled her seat belt. "Thank you, so do you."_

_  
Chisato nodded. "The boys there will be all over you, just watch." She winked, pulling out of the driveway._

_Aiko laughed, really laughed, for the first time in what seemed like ages. And as she looked out the car window at the passing trees, she felt glad for the first time tonight that she had agreed to come along._

**&&&**

**Author's Notes: **Yay, chapter five is finito. Thank you guys, once again for being such wonderful readers and reviewers. Hope this chappie was satisfactory.

**IMPORTANT!** Please read.

I will be on vacation from July 26th - August 23rd. So this may be the last chapter for a long time. I might be able to upload one more before I leave, or some during my trip if I take my laptop. But I'll probably be busy, so don't count on it.


	6. Awakened

**Author's Notes: **Because Kirihara Akaya asked _so _nicely, I decided to write one more chapter before I leave for vacation. It's not extremely long, but I wrote it on short notice, so please forgive me. I hope you all enjoy reading this chapter.

**&&&**

_Hejira _

Awakened

**&&&**

Fuji's gaze flickered between Aiko's flushed face and the cordless phone that sat on his nightstand a foot away from him. She was getting worse and worse by the looks of it. He leaned forward, placing the electronic thermometer into her mouth and pressing theON button. _I don't think she can take much more._ Fuji thought decidedly, finally picking up the phone and dialing 911.

"Please state your emergency." A female's pleasant voice floated through the speaker.

"Um, my sister, she has an extremely high fever."

"What's the temperature please?" She said breezily.

Fuji extracted the thermometer from Aiko's mouth and glanced down at the blinking digital numbers. "107.3 degrees Fahrenheit."

Her voice stiffened. "Your address please, sir."

**&&&**

"Why didn't you call 911 earlier?" Tenaya said into the phone, sounding frustrated.

"I don't know!" Fuji said exasperatedly. The truth was, the only thing keeping him from calling as soon as he could was the fact that he knew Aiko hated hospitals. It was a stupid excuse, and if Aiko were awake, she would surely berate him for judging so poorly in a situation like this. If she died, well, it'd probably be his fault.

Tenaya groaned, picking at a loose thread on her shirt as she sat up in bed. "I can't believe you didn't call until her temperature was _over 107degrees Fahrenheit. _What were you thinking? You probably should've called at 105!"

"Yes, Tenaya, thanks for reminding me." Fuji sighed, slightly tired of Tenaya's nagging. "Well I have to go alright? Just wanted to tell you what was happening. See ya." He flipped his phone shut, stuffing it into his pocket.

He leaned back in his uncomfortable hospital chair, staring at the door opposite him, across the hall. Behind that door, Aiko was either dying or surviving, and he had no idea.

Right at that moment, a doctor pushed open the door, looking around before spotting Fuji and walking over to him. "I'm Doctor Sano." He said, extending a hand.

"Fuji." He replied, shaking his hand. "How is she doing?" He asked anxiously.

Dr. Sano sighed, removing his facemask. "Not quite sure yet. She is still deeply unconscious, and a scanning showed that her heart could stop at any moment. Her body's temperature was just too high. She has a healthy heart, but it's been pumping so much blood to keep her body running that she is internally exhausted." He took a deep breath. "Has she had any injuries lately?"

Fuji stiffened, nodding slowly. "Actually, she was hit by a car about a week ago and was just starting to recover."

Dr. Sano nodded, not surprised. "In this case, the fever was a self-defense mechanism. Let me explain." He said quickly, seeing Fuji's confused face. He took a seat beside Fuji.

"Her immune system was extremely weak after fighting off all of the bacteria cells in her body, the bacteria that had entered through her wounds from the accident. I'm guessing that it had not completely fought off all of the bacteria and that some remained. One of the pathogens managed to survive, but her white blood cell count was much too low to defeat it. Therefore, her body responded in the only way it could in a moment like this.

"It raised its temperature. Many types of bacteria have a strict range of temperature in which it can survive. Usually, the range goes up to about 102 degrees Fahrenheit. However, this particular strain of bacteria can survive in temperatures up to 108.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Her body, trying to clear itself of this foreign bacteria strain, raised its temperature, hoping that at a certain point, the heat would kill off all of the bacteria cells."

Fuji nodded, beginning to understand.

"But this type of bacteria is tougher than most, and her body kept heating up more and more, trying to kill it off. That is why her fever is so dangerously high. If you had called any later, some of her vital organs may have already shut down."

Fuji closed his eyes, not believing how close he had come to just letting her die. "Thank you Dr. Sano." He said. "But what now?"

Dr. Sano smiled. "Fortunately, we managed to identify what type of bacteria it was, and we injected the right medication to kill it off. Her temperature is still extremely high, but it seems to be lowering, slowly."

His face darkened. "But we're not sure how much damage her fever has caused, since she has yet to regain consciousness. She could wake up with anything from brain damage to paralysis, or not wake up at all."

Fuji stiffened.

"We can't say unfortunately." Dr. Sano sighed, standing up. "If she lives through the night, her chances for survival will have tripled."

Fuji nodded, thanking the doctor again. He sighed, placing his head in his hands as the doctor left, leaving him alone in this empty hallway again.

Surely this was déjà vu.

**&&&**

Aiko opened her eyes, of course, not that she could see anything. She felt something hard on her nose and mouth, pumping clean fresh air into her tired lungs. She wanted to cough, but couldn't find the strength. In fact, she could barely move a finger, and she closed her eyes, as if keeping them open was too hard a feat. Which in this case it was.

She felt separated from her body. Was this even her body? Who was she? Where was she? Why did these question sound so familiar?

Just before she drifted into unconsciousness again, she heard a man's kind voice whispering quietly to someone beside him. Aiko strained her ears, amazed that she could actually catch his words.

"…it might be our only choice."

"But didn't that boy say she had just suffered through a car accident? And a pretty horrible one by the looks of it."

"Yes, only a week ago."

"We can't possibly resort to that. Not only is she already injured, all of her vital organs are on the brink of shutting down from the fever. To do that would be murder."

"To leave her would be murder. Her heart is slowly but surely shutting down anyway. This is the only way we can stop that."

The other person hesitated. "I see." She, or he, whispered softly. "But you know what the shock will do. Too much and it will completely kill her heart. The chances of this working are almost zero." The person said slowly.

The doctor sighed. "I know, don't you think I know? But if we don't do this, then her chances _are _zero. We must. If she doesn't regain consciousness in the next six hours, then get the defibrillator machine out. Charge three hundred on the first try."

"...I understand."

"It's all chance from here. If she has a strong heart, she can take it. If she doesn't…" He didn't have to finish.

Aiko's consciousness began to drift away. The defibrillator machine was a large electronic machine with paddles that were placed on the patient, sending an electric shock through the person's body. It was used to shock a heart back into life. But she didn't need it. She wanted to scream out at the doctor "I'M FINE! I'VE REGAINED CONSCIOUSNESS, SEE!" But she could barely open her mouth before the darkness swept over her senses again.

**&&&**

_Aiko stared down at her knees, picking a stray piece of lint off her skirt. She sighed, looking around the bar._

_To her left was Chisato and most of her friends. They had all had at least a few shots, and were howling with laughter at the unfunniest things. Meanwhile, Aiko sat by herself, boredly stirring her Chablis with a straw. She didn't drink much alcohol if she could help it, although she was the type of person who could chug a gallon and still be able to recite quantum physics. _

_Aiko sighed, wondering if she would've had more fun at home doing chores, or finishing up the assignment her mom had been about to give her. She didn't know really, for she couldn't think straight with the music blasting at about a billion decibels. Her drink was practically vibrating with the soundwaves._

_She sighed again. She had been people watching most of the time. She sat near the door, and she had a good view of people coming in, although they couldn't see her unless they turned in her direction. All night long, there had been a steady trickle of people walking in. A few of them had caught her eye, but not enough for her to make an effort to say hi to the person._

_However, just as she was contemplating whether or not she should just leave, in walked a crowd of people. It was the largest crowd yet, over thirty people, it seemed. It appeared to be a bunch of middle aged men in suits, but at the end of the crowd was a group of young guys, around her age._

_There werefive of them in all, and they were all gorgeous, not to mention filthy rich by the looks of it. And unlike the other people in their party, there were not dressed so formally. The majority of them were wearing either button-ups or T-shirts with jeans. _

_Aiko smiled. She knew she could probably admire them in secret for a while, for she was sitting mostly in the shadows. Although with the ruckus Chisato and her friends were making, some of them were bound to glance in her direction. But she knew that even then, they'd probably just look away. What was there to see? A plain girl, with average looks and average clothes, sitting at the bar, looking like a loner. One glance would tell it all right?_

_Surprisingly, Aiko felt nothing as these thoughts ran through her head. She was so used to blending in with the background that it no longer bothered her. Insults bounced off her like super balls, for she had pretty much grown immune to them over the years of living at home with her model-worthy siblings. She knew such young, handsome, wealthy men wouldn't look at her twice, even if she did believe she was looking quite nice today._

_She smiled to herself, letting her gaze flicker over them, memorizing who they were by their hairstyles. One man, the oldest judging from his looks, had his hair shaved close to his head, and two other men spiked their hair. Another had his hair medium-length, hanging to his ears, and the fifth guy had hair that fell gently past his right eye, ending at chin-length. This last man was the one who caught her eye._

_She felt her eyesfollow him as he sat down at a table with his friends, only a few yards away. He looked to be the youngest, but also seemed to be the center of attention. His hair was a dark brown, and looked extremely soft. He had light eyes, it was hard to tell the color from here. He looked familiar._

_Aiko smiled, sipping her Chablis as she quietly studied him. He watched with interest as the guy with the shaved head spoke animatedly. "Wouldn't it be nice," she thought to herself. "If I got to know a guy like him?" But she pushed the thought out of her mind effortlessly, knowing that at most, he'll notice her and look away. _

"_Hey Aiko! Come here!" Chisato yelled. She and her friends had left the bar and were sitting in a large booth at the other end of the club with a group of people Aiko had never seen. Chisato waved her over, pointing discreetly to a guy sitting next to her. "Isn't he hot?" She mouthed, her eyes twinkling._

_Aiko smiled, glancing one more time at the guy she had been watching, before picking up her drink and walking in Chisato's direction. _

_**&&&**_

_He smiled as Shinji retold his story of something-or-other, he wasn't quite sure for he wasn't exactly paying attention. He ran a hand through his hair, looking around slowly so as not to seem rude._

_He didn't know why his dad made him come to these clubs. They opened about a five different clubs a week, and going to them was useless in his opinion. However, he looked up to his father greatly, and so he obeyed, just to please him. But he wished he didn't have to hang out with his dad's sons. They were all rich, much like him, but didn't have much brains. All they could talk about most of the time was their cars or their girls. It got tiring after about the first few minutes. And this club was the same as all the others. Alcohol, girls in crazy outfits, rich men, loud music, blabla. _

_But one girl in particular caught his eye. She had just gotten up from her seat at the bar with her glass. He had not noticed her before because she had been sitting in the shadows. But as soon as she walked into the dancing lights of the club towards another booth, his breath caught in his throat._

_She was absolutely beautiful. Her sleek, shining locks of chestnut hair cascaded over her back from her ponytail. Her outfit accented her appealing figure but was, for once in these clubs, modest and un-revealing. The features of her face were delicate but well defined, and he could tell even from this distance that she was a mix. Despite herobvious beauty,she was not the_ most gorgeous _girl he had ever seen. But something about her, her innocent features, her kind eyes, her fluid, careful movements, made her stand out miles above the rest of the girls he had met. _

"_What's wrong man?" _

_He snapped out of his thoughts, turning to face Shinji who had an annoyed look on his face. "Screw your story." He thought, standing up and stepping out of his booth and towards the girl._

"_Tonight, I'm meeting _her._"_

**&&&**

**Author's Notes: **Ok, this chapter was mostly flashback, I think. I hope you liked it though. Can anybody guess who this mysterious guy is? Take a guess.Whoever guesses right first…um…gets the next chapter dedicated to them. (Yeah, woohoo party, I know.)

Thank you everybody for reviewing. Have a nice summer, and see you guys in a month!


	7. Reminiscence

**Author's Note: **Meh. Don't even ask about the big, looong hiatus.

**&&&**

_Hejira_

_Reminiscence_

**&&&**

The clanging of metal wheels against aluminum shook Fuji out of his temporary slumber. He sat up in his chair and yawned, surprised that he had managed to fall asleep. Judging by the amount of light coming through the windows, it was early morning, maybe four or five A.M. He noticed a few doctors wheeling a large metal contraption down the corridor in his direction. He was only mildly interested until the doctors threw open the doors opposite Fuji and pushed the machine in. He watched the door swing shut with a bang, speechless. Suddenly, he began to worry. What was that thing? What were they planning to do to Aiko?

The soundproof walls and doors to Aiko's operating room stood between complete silence and utter chaos. While Fuji sat motionlessly in the dimly lit hallway where he could hear his own heartbeat, the world inside the room was filled with the sounds of metal operating tools clinking as they exchanged hands, strained voices shouting orders from every direction, and the slow beeping of Aiko's heart monitor.

"Isn't there another solution Dr. Sano?! This can't be the only option left!" Nurse Rina cried exasperatedly as she watched the defibrillator machine being wheeled in.

Dr. Sano shook his head, ignoring the other nurses who ran back and forth past him. "If we wait any longer, her heart will fail. This is the only solution." He said sadly. He knew, of course he knew, what a risky choice this was. But it was better to try and fail than to just sit back and watch.

"Alright!!" His voice was stronger than he felt. "Get the paddles!" He ordered.

Rina finally sighed, nodding as she ran to retrieve them.

"Gel!!" Dr. Sano yelled, and another nurse whipped the sheet off of Aiko's pale, sweating body, pulling her nightgown up and spreading a thick, clear jelly over her chest and stomach.

The remaining nurses were either pushing the machine over to the bed, changing the settings on the machine, or closely managing and watching Aiko's vital signs. If anything went wrong, Aiko would be the one to suffer for it.

"Clear!!" Dr. Sano ran over to the bedside, putting his hands on the paddles and placing them on her chest firmly. "Charge three hundred!" He shouted.

**&&&**

Aiko was surrounded by noise. It was the only thing she was aware of at the moment. People were running around, shouting and yelling, and something was giving off an eerie metal clanging. All she wanted was for it to be quiet. She just wanted to sleep, but with this racket, she could do anything but. She felt her heartbeat slow, and her breath came in slow, even gasps. _Sleep…_she thought, wishing for the blackness to engulf her senses.

But she received just the opposite of what she wanted. Suddenly, her shirt was being torn off, and a cold, sticky substance was smeared onto her hot skin, making her flinch. And the next moment, two hard, round objects were being pressed on her chest. Before she could even register what the objects were, a huge shock rippled painfully through her body. She wanted to cry out, but found that she didn't have the energy.

Her heart immediately went into overdrive, pumping so quickly and forcefully that it threatened to burst out of her rib cage. Somewhere in the distance, she heard a man's voice.

"CLEAR! Charge four hundred!"

Another jolt shook her body off the bed, and she fell back down with a painful thump. She now felt numb, her mind closing in on itself. It felt like she was drawing away from the world, into her own consciousness somewhere deep in the back of her head. She could do nothing to control her senses, it seemed, as she slipped into a peaceful state of apathy.

It was an odd, but somehow peaceful feeling. It almost seemed like a movie theater. In the darkness of her mind, she was sitting on the floor with her arms wrapped around her knees. She seemed to be watching a picture slideshow, one that she only just realized seemed to be pictures of her past.

She felt another jolt, but this one barely made her flinch. She was in another world now, her own world, and was oblivious to anything that wasn't included in it. She watched, mesmerized by the series of pictures zooming by in front of her eyes. Like sharpened knives, each one brought her a stabbing pain, but she couldn't tear her gaze away.

Only a few of the images lingered long enough for her to recognize. She saw one of her as a young girl, sitting on a man's lap. Then another of her laughing and playing with dolls. In these two, she was probably only about three years old. She saw a few more like these, and they brought a smile to her face. But as quickly as they began, they faded, and were replaced with darker, more depressing images.

She was five, kneeling in front of a shadowed figure with her hands clamped over her ears and tears running down her face. In another, she was looking down at a strange metal object in her hand, fascinated, scared, and disgusted at the same time. Another few followed, too blurry to make out, but they seemed to show her walking down a dark hallway. Images of strangers followed. Then, this one unusually clear, an image of her looking down at her small hands and seeing them drenched in crimson.

Everything that came after that last image zoomed by at a speed too fast to follow. But as the 'slideshow' came to an end, the last picture seemed to freeze-frame. It was blurry. She could make out a pair of dark, amber colored eyes. They stared at her, as if trying to convey a message.

Then, slowly, they closed.

Aiko stared at this image for the longest time, before suddenly, the picture shattered, as if it were made of glass and it had been punched. The small shards flew towards her, and her eyes widened in surprise and fear. She closed her eyes and ducked, inches before the sharp objects reached her face…

"CHARGE 900!!!"

Aiko, the one in the real world, awoke with a mind-numbing jolt.

**&&&**

Fuji looked up at the room across from him. "I wonder what's going on in there." He thought worriedly.

He waited patiently. About a half hour later, Dr. Sano stepped out of the room, walked across the hall briskly, and sat down in the empty chair beside Fuji. They sat in silence.

"So…?" Fuji finally spoke up, his voice soft but unusually loud in the empty hallway.

Dr. Sano hesitated, before smiling. "Mission accomplished."

**&&&**

Aiko opened her eyes.

"Still blind, I see." She thought grudgingly. No pun intended.

She tried to sit up, but sharp spasms of pain ran through her aching body, and she collapsed back onto the hospital bed. Surely this was déjà vu. Why was she always in pain?

She sighed, closing her eyes. She remembered saying goodbye to Fuji as he left for tennis. Then she made her way through the house to the bedroom, tripping once or twice on the various objects strewn on the floor throughout the house. Then what?

Then she had suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion and nausea, so she got a drink of water and lay down on Fuji's bed. Seconds turned into minutes, and eventually into hours. She had become unconscious, waking up partially at random times to a throbbing in her head. She distinctly remembered kicking off the sweaty blankets, wondering why she was so hot, then pulling them back up when she started shivering, and repeating this process several times. Then Fuji was beside her, and she blacked out.

She knew she was at the hospital because of several observations she had made.

First, she had that foreboding feeling that could only mean something she didn't like. Second, she could smell it. Everything around her, from the pillow to the sheets to the air smelled like Hospital. She grimaced.

She knew she was supposed to keep away from hospitals. People have told her that before. They've told her that being in a hospital might endanger her secret.

Wait.

What secret?!

Her eyes snapped open and, if anyone had been there to see, moved around rapidly, as if searching for something.

How did she know that? Did she have her memories back?

She thought for a few minutes, before relaxing, realizing that she was still an amnesiac. But somehow, she had woken up this time with a few more memories than last time.

She remembered all those weird images that had flashed through her mind. What did they mean? They seemed like rubbish to her. None of it connected. They were like five or six puzzle pieces given to her when she was trying to complete a million-piece puzzle set. Useless.

Suddenly she was very tired. She tried to stop thinking about her past and what these images meant, but they drifted around in her mind until she was able to fall back into a deep sleep.

**&&&**

"Thank you so much." Fuji nodded in gratitude.

"It's my job." Dr. Sano stood up, shaking Fuji's hand before walking away towards his office. After taking a few steps, he spotted Nurse Rina coming his way.

"Thank god it worked." She said, approaching him with a manila folder.

Dr. Sano nodded. "Indeed. She's very lucky."

Nurse Rina smiled, before handing the folder to Dr. Sano. "Here's the analysis of her current condition and her electrical effect on the defibrillator machine." She frowned. "Might wanna take a look at them. I don't understand it completely, I'm only a nurse. But I do know that they're a little different from the normal results." She clicked away down the hall, leaving Dr. Sano with the small folder of papers.

He continued his way towards his office, opening the front cover of the folder to take a look. Temperature…normal. Heartbeat…normal. Blood pressure, white blood cell count, consciousness level…all normal.

He flipped over that sheet of paper, wondering what the nurse was talking about. As his eyes scanned quickly over the next page, he frowned. Rina was right about these, they were highly uncommon results.

He reached out a hand to push open the door of his office. After stepping in and taking off his lab coat, he sat down in the big easy chair in front of his desk, switching on his light and laying out the contents of the folder on his big desk for closer study.

Something…

No, scratch that.

_Everything _about this girl puzzled him.

**&&&**

**Author's Note: **Hope everybody liked this chapter. Now you just have to wait another half year for the next chapter! gets slapped Ow…


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